The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on the Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from Russian and Dutch Companies
Abstract
This research paper aims to investigate the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting on Russian and Dutch companies’ financial performance (CFP). The theoretical framework we use is the stakeholder theory. The study applies regression analysis to obtain quantitative evidence of CSR-CFP relations. Companies’ CSR involvement is measured by reputation index - CSRhub. Return on equity ratio has been chosen as a measure of corporate financial performance. Our findings demonstrate a weak positive correlation between CSR and companies’ ROE. Moreover, the research shows the existence of a higher CSR impact on Russian companies’ financial performance comparing to the Dutch one. The results may become useful for corporate management while assessing a financial return from CSR strategies. This work also provides an alternative way for a quantitative operationalization of companies’ social performance, which is especially important for further statistical researches.
Downloads
References
Wang H., Tong L., Takeuchi R., George G. Corporate social responsibility: An overview and new research directions. The Academy of Management Journal. 2016;59(2):534-544. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2016.5001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2016.5001
Munro V. CSR historical and emerging themes and related terms. In: Munro V. CSR for purpose, shared value and deep transformation: The new responsibility. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited; 2020:15-51. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-035-820200004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-035-820200004
Mulej M., Bohinc R. Social responsibility: An application of and support to systemic behaviour. In: Mulej M., O’Sullivan G., Štrukelj T., eds. Social responsibility and corporate governance. Vol. 2: Policy and practice. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan; 2021:1-30. (Palgrave studies in governance, leadership and responsibility). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46095-2_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46095-2_1
Sheehy B. Defining CSR: Problems and solutions. Journal of Business Ethics. 2015;131(3):625-648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2281-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2281-x
Görpe S., Öksüz B. Corporate social responsibility as concept and activity: an overview. In: Örtenblad A., ed. Research handbook on corporate social responsibility in context. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing; 2016:17-31. (Research handbooks in business and management series). DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781783474806.00010
MacLeod M. Regional review: Developed countries. In: Crowther D., Seifi S., eds. The Palgrave handbook of corporate social responsibility. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan; 2020:935-953. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22438-7_30-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42465-7_30
Capaldi N., Nedzel N.E. CSR in the USA and UK versus CSR in Europe and Asia. In: Crowther D., Seifi S., eds. The Palgrave handbook of corporate social responsibility. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan; 2020:1071-1101. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22438-7_85-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42465-7_85
Carroll A.B. A three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate social performance. The Academy of Management Review. 1979;4(4):497-505. https://doi.org/10.2307/257850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/257850
Porter M., Kramer M. Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review. 2011;89(1-2):62-77.
Sims R.R., Brinkmann J. Enron ethics (Or: Culture matters more than codes). Journal of Business Ethics. 2003;45(3):243-256. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024194519384 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024194519384
Black B.S., Love I., Rachinsky A. Corporate governance indices and firms’ market values: Time series evidence from Russia. Emerging Markets Review. 2006;7(4):361-379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2006.09.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2006.09.004
Orazalin N., Mahmood M. Economic, environmental, and social performance indicators of sustainability reporting: Evidence from the Russian oil and gas industry. Energy Policy. 2018;121:70-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.06.015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.06.015
Shvarts E., Pakhalov A., Knizhnikov A., Ametistova L. Environmental rating of oil and gas companies in Russia: How assessment affects environmental transparency and performance. Business Strategy and the Environment. 2018;27(7):1023-1038. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2049 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2049
Madrakhimova F. History of development of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business and Economics. 2013;4(6):509-520. URL: http://academicstar.us/UploadFile/Picture/2014-6/201461410571606.pdf
Graafland J.J., Eijffinger S.C.W. Corporate social responsibility of Dutch companies: Benchmarking, transparency and robustness. De Economist. 2004;152(3):403-426. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ECOT.0000036578.63438.30 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ECOT.0000036578.63438.30
Aerts W., Cormier D., Magnan M. Corporate environmental disclosure, financial markets and the media: An international perspective. Ecological Economics. 2008;64(3):643-659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.04.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.04.012
Moneva J.M., Ortas E. Corporate environmental and financial performance: A multivariate approach. Industrial Management & Data Systems. 2010;110(2):193-210. https://doi.org/10.1108/02635571011020304 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02635571011020304
Wissink S. Determinants of corporate social responsibility for Dutch listed firms. Master study. Enschede: University of Twente; 2016. 103 p. URL: https://essay.utwente.nl/71384/1/SanneWissink_MA_financedepartment.pdf (accessed on 08.06.22).
Tichý T., Radi D., Lamantia F. Hybrid evolutionary oligopolies and the dynamics of corporate social responsibility. Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination. 2022;17(1):87-114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11403-020-00303-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11403-020-00303-4
Graafland J., van de Ven B. Strategic and moral motivation for corporate social responsibility. The Journal of Corporate Citizenship. 2006;(22):111-123. https://doi.org/10.9774/GLEAF.4700.2006.su.00012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.9774/GLEAF.4700.2006.su.00012
Chkir I., El Haj Hassan B., Rjiba H., Saadi S. Does corporate social responsibility influence corporate innovation? International evidence. Emerging Markets Review. 2021;46:100746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2020.100746 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2020.100746
Li J.-J., Xu C., Fung H.-G., Chan K.C. Do venture capital firms promote corporate social responsibility? International Review of Economics & Finance. 2021;71:718-732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2020.10.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2020.10.012
Mervelskemper L., Streit D. Enhancing market valuation of ESG performance: Is integrated reporting keeping its promise? Business Strategy and the Environment. 2017;26(4):536-549. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1935 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1935
Fatemi A., Glaum M., Kaiser S. ESG performance and firm value: The moderating role of disclosure. Global Finance Journal. 2018;38:45-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2017.03.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2017.03.001
Attig N., El Ghoul S., Guedhami O., Suh J. Corporate social responsibility and credit ratings. Journal of Business Ethics. 2013;117(4):679-694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1714-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1714-2
Lee D.D., Faff R.W. Corporate sustainability performance and idiosyncratic risk: A global perspective. The Financial Review. 2009;44(2):213-237. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6288.2009.00216.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6288.2009.00216.x
Goss A. Corporate social responsibility and financial distress. In: Proc. Administrative Sciences Association of Canada conf. (ASAC 2009). Montreal: ASAC; 2009. URL: https://www.tias.edu/docs/default-source/documentlibrary_fsinsight/allen-goss-corporate-financial-responsibility-and-financial-distress.pdf
Goss A., Roberts G.S. The impact of corporate social responsibility on the cost of bank loans. Journal of Banking & Finance. 2011;35(7):1794-1810. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2010.12.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2010.12.002
El Ghoul S., Guedhami O., Kwok C.C.Y., Mishra D.R. Does corporate social responsibility affect the cost of capital? Journal of Banking & Finance. 2011;35(9):2388-2406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2011.02.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2011.02.007
Dhaliwal D.S., Li O.Z., Tsang A.H., Yang Y.G. Voluntary non-financial disclosure and the cost of equity capital: The case of corporate social responsibility reporting. The Accounting Review. 2011;86(1):59-100. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr.00000005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2308/accr.00000005
Cheng B., Ioannou I., Serafeim G. Corporate social responsibility and access to finance. Strategic Management Journal. 2014;35(1):1-23. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2131 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2131
Margolis J.D., Elfenbein H.A., Walsh J.P. Does it pay to be good? A meta-analysis and redirection of research on the relationship between corporate social and financial performance. SSRN Electronic Journal. 2007. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1866371 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1866371
Skare M., Golja T. Corporate social responsibility and corporate financial performance – Is there a link? Economic Research/Ekonomska Istraživanja. 2012;25(Suppl.1):215-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2012.11517563 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2012.11517563
Purnamasari V., Hastuti T.D., Chrismastuti A.A. CSR: The impact on long-term and short-term company performance. International Journal of Humanities and Management Sciences. 2015;3(4):248-252. URL: http://repository.unika.ac.id/21946/1/CSR%20%26%20BSC.pdf
Lin C.-S., Chang R.-Y., Dang V.T. An integrated model to explain how corporate social responsibility affects corporate financial performance. Sustainability. 2015;7(7):8292-8311. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7078292 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su7078292
Firli A., Akbar N. Does corporate social responsibility solve ROA problem in Indonesia telecommunication industry? American Journal of Economics. 2016;6(2):107-115. https://doi.org/10.5923/j.economics.20160602.03
Du Toit E., Lekoloane K. Corporate social responsibility and financial performance: Evidence from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, South Africa. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences. 2018;21(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v21i1.1799 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v21i1.1799
Peng C.-W., Yang M.-L. The effect of corporate social performance on financial performance: The moderating effect of ownership concentration. Journal of Business Ethics. 2014;123(1):171-182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1809-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1809-9
Elouidani A., Faical Z. Corporate social responsibility and financial performance. African Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance. 2015;4(1):74-85. https://doi.org/10.1504/AJAAF.2015.071749 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/AJAAF.2015.071749
Garcia-Blandon J., Castillo-Merino D., Chams N. Sustainable development: The stock market's view of environmental policy. Business Strategy and the Environment. 2020;29(8):3273-3285. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2571 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2571
Brammer S., Millington A. Does it pay to be different? An analysis of the relationship between corporate social and financial performance. Strategic Management Journal. 2008;29(12):1325-1343. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.714 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.714
Wang H., Choi J., Li J. Too little or too much? Untangling the relationship between corporate philanthropy and firm financial performance. Organization Science. 2008;19(1):143-159. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1070.0271 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1070.0271
Barnett M.L., Salomon R.M. Does it pay to be really good? Addressing the shape of the relationship between social and financial performance. Strategic Management Journal. 2012;33(11):1304-1320. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.1980 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.1980
Braga-Alves M.V., Shastri K. Corporate governance, valuation, and performance: Evidence from a voluntary market reform in Brazil. Financial Management. 2011;40(1):139-157. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-053X.2010.01137.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-053X.2010.01137.x
Alareeni B.A., Hamdan A. ESG impact on performance of US S&P 500-listed firms. Corporate Governance. 2020;20(7):1409-1428. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-06-2020-0258 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-06-2020-0258
Jaisinghani D., Sekhon A.K. CSR disclosures and profit persistence: Evidence from India. International Journal of Emerging Markets. 2022;17(3):705-724. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-03-2020-0246 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-03-2020-0246
Van de Velde E., Vermeir W., Corten F. Corporate social responsibility and financial performance. Corporate Governance. 2005;5(3):129-138. https://doi.org/10.1108/14720700510604760 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14720700510604760
Lau C., Lu Y., Liang Q. Corporate social responsibility in China: A corporate governance approach. Journal of Business Ethics. 2016;136(1):73-87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2513-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2513-0
Galant A., Cadez S. Corporate social responsibility and financial performance relationship: A review of measurement approaches. Economic Research/Ekonomska Istraživanja. 2017;30(1):676-693. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2017.1313122 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2017.1313122
Wang Y.G. Corporate social responsibility and stock performance – Evidence from Taiwan. Modern Economy. 2011;2(5):788-799. https://doi.org/10.4236/me.2011.25087 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/me.2011.25087
Déjean F., Martinez I. Environmental disclosure and the cost of equity: The French case. Accounting in Europe. 2009;6(1):57-80. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480902896403 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17449480902896403
Gamerschlag R., Möller K., Verbeeten F. Determinants of voluntary CSR disclosure: Empirical evidence from Germany. Review of Managerial Science. 2011;5(2-3):233-262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-010-0052-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-010-0052-3
Singh S. Impact of corporate social responsibility disclosure on the financial performance of firms in UK. Master thesis. Enschede: University of Twente; 2014. 75 p. URL: https://essay.utwente.nl/65014/1/Singh_MA_MB.pdf (accessed on 07.06.22).
Gidwani B. The link between brand value and sustainability. Director Notes. 2013;5(21). URL: https://brandfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/1/the_link_between_brand_value_and_sustainability.pdf (accessed on 07.06.22).
Choi S., Leitner S., Rubinstein J., Rhee E., Yang Y. Assessing the relationship between sustainability and cost of debt. Columbia University. 2015. URL: https://content.csrhub.com/files/CSRHub_Capstone_Final_Report.pdf (accessed on 07.06.22).
Zheng F., Zhao Z., Sun Y., Khan Y.A. Financial performance of China’s listed firms in presence of coronavirus: Evidence from corporate culture and corporate social responsibility. Current Psychology. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02200-w DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02200-w
Okafor A., Adeleye B.N., Adusei M. Corporate social responsibility and financial performance: Evidence from US tech firms. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021;292:126078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126078 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126078
Grewatsch S., Kleindienst I. When does it pay to be good? Moderators and mediators in the corporate sustainability – corporate financial performance relationship: A critical review. Journal of Business Ethics. 2017;145(2):383-416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2852-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2852-5
Van Duuren E., Plantinga A., Scholtens B. ESG Integration and the investment management process: Fundamental investing reinvented. Journal of Business Ethics. 2016;138(3):525-533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2610-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2610-8
Fisher V.E., Mahoney L.S., Scazzero J.A. An international comparison of corporate social responsibility. Issues in Social and Environmental Accounting. 2016;10(1):1-17. https://doi.org/10.22164/isea.v10i1.141 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22164/isea.v10i1.141
Ioannou I., Serafeim G. The consequences of mandatory corporate sustainability reporting. Harvard Business School Working Paper. 2011;(100). URL: https://www.albertoandreu.com/uploads/2011/05/The-consequences-of-mandatory-corporate-sustainability-reporting.pdf DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1799589
Black B.S., de Carvalho A.G., Gorga É. What matters and for which firms for corporate governance in emerging markets? Evidence from Brazil (and other BRIK countries). Journal of Corporate Finance. 2012;18(4):934-952. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2011.10.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2011.10.001
Bénabou R., Tirole J. Individual and corporate social responsibility. Economica. 2010;77(305):1-19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0335.2009.00843.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0335.2009.00843.x
Ahmed S. Measuring quality of reported earnings’ response to corporate governance reforms in Russia. Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies. 2013;3(1):21-46. https://doi.org/10.1108/20440831311287682 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/20440831311287682
Guriev S., Lazareva O., Rachinsky A., Tsukhlo S. Corporate governance in Russian industry. Problems of Economic Transition. 2004;47(3):6-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/10611991.2004.11049910
Copyright (c) 2022 National Research University Higher School of Economics

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.